Royal Wedding Menu Trends Past and Present

Though there are many still wondering about who will design Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, chefs worldwide are looking for which culinary trends will be set by Kate and William’s elaborate wedding. And as in any royal event, the past is always the most appropriate starting point when seaching for new traditions.

In 1923 Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Mother) married Prince Albert, who would become King George VI after his brother King Edward VIII abdicated to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Recently the Oscar winning movie, The King’s Speech, depicted the amazing relationship between this lovely Scottish lady and the Prince that won her heart. At their wedding each dish was named after a member of the royal family: Consomme a la Windsor, Supremes de Saumon Reine Mary, Cotelettes d’Agneau Prince Albert, Chapons a la Strathmore and Fraises Duchesse Elizabeth.

When their daughter, the then Princess Elizabeth, married her prince, Philip Mountbatten of Greece in 1947, she was facing the crushing austerity of the years that followed World War II in England. With a nod to the difficulties faced by the common citizens of Britain at that time, the menu was a more restrained one that included Filet de Sole Mountbatten and Perdreau en Casserole.  But even in those dark days, a wedding is still a wedding and needs a touch of grace and elegance. And so a stunning ice cream dish, a Bombe Glacee Princesse Elizabeth made with rare out of season strawberries, was served as a finishing touch. 

On the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952 Princess Elizabeth became the Queen of England and remains so today. Together she and Prince Philip had four children – Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

Anne, the Princess Royal, would be the first to marry in 1973, not to a prince but to a commoner then a lieutenant in Queen’s own Dragoon Guards, a Mr. Mark Phillips. Later commissioned a captain, he was the first commoner to marry a member of the royal family in 200 years!

Their lavish Westminster wedding was a grand gala watched on television by an estimated 500 million people around the world. Equally extravagant was the feast served at their post wedding reception which featured lobster and partridge, not to mention a towering five foot six inch wedding cake – exactly the height of the newly married princess.

In 1981 Prince Charles, the heir apparent to the English throne, would marry the lovely Lady Diana Spencer again as millions watched and wished them well and long life.

Yet despite a fairytale gown and 27 stunning wedding cakes (!), the marriage of the young and beautiful Diana and Prince Charles ended sadly in a bitter divorce and, ultimately, a tragic car wreck that shocked the world.   

This week another charming couple will wed in London’s grandest cathedral. Whether they will copy Diana’s wedding menu of chicken stuffed with lamb mousse (a la Princess of Wales) or brill in a rich lobster sauce, one can only hope that the greatest trend they share with everyone will be a fresh belief that Love should be mixed with maturity and tended with care and insight.  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Legandary Chef Anton Mosimann to Create a Royal Champagne Wedding Dinner for Kate and William

When it's a royal wedding, only the best will do, especially when it's combined with a regard for both innovation AND tradition. And no one but no one can create that blend better than Chef Anton Mosimann.

Born in Switzerland, Chef Mosimann first ventured into the kitchen at the age of six when he first assisted his parents in a Nidau based restaurant. By the time he was 15 he was apprenticed to another regional restaurant in the Hotel Baeren in Twann. He would go on to receive his chef de cuisine diploma at the early age of 25!

Soon thereafter he was working in restaurants ranging from Rome’s Cavalieri to Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel and from the Swiss Pavilion at Japan’s Expo 70 to Belgium’s Villa Lorraine. Each position offered him a fresh opportunity to discover new ingredients and techniques.    

Using his new insights the young chef won a gold medal in the culinary competition in Lucerne in 1973. This achievement brought him to the attention of Adelrich Furrer, who recommended him Eugene Kaufeler, the famed chef of London’s grand Dorchester Hotel. 

Several interviews later Mosimann found himself the Head Chef of the legendary Dorchester Hotel at remarkable age 28! But several problems lay ahead for this young and very talented chef.

On arrival the Swiss chef discovered that the cuisine of the Dorchester was classic but dated and many among the staff of over 100 employees wondered at the wisdom of appointing such a young chef to a position of high responsibility.

Slowly but surely he won them over, centering all culinary changes around “La Nouvelle Cuisine”. Each dish was to be prepared from only the freshest food and never preped in advance. 

The goal of each assisting chef was to preserve the original taste of the ingredients involved – a chicken should taste like a chicken and not be buried under heavy sauces.

Mosimann also believed that the diner should not be limited to the cuisine of a single nation. Under his direction, French trained chefs learned to appreciate and prepare classic Japanese dishes and visa a versa. With a clarity of flavors and an embrace of diversity, Mosimann chose to reduce portion sizes and also favored a more leisurely paced dining experience.

The result? The first Michelin stars awarded outside of France! But the honors didn’t stop there. Mosimann would go on to receive the esteemed Order of the British Empire from the Queen of England in 2004 as well as to become a favorite of both Prince Charles and many other royals and celebrities who also appreciated his fresh and healthy approach to matters traditional.

Today Chef Mosimann holds court at his own private dining club Mosimann’s. But on the evening of April 29^th, he and his staff will be busy creating the evening wedding dinner being hosted by Prince Charles for Kate and William.

It will be memorable and the champagne to be served is rumored to possibly be Pol Roger, the bubbly favored by another London legend, Winston Churchill.

What a night to remember! Good Luck Kate and William!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011